EDITORIAL: What will 2017 hold for Barbados?

Everywhere the question is being asked: What does the year 2017 hold for the world, especially Barbados, following what many people are suggesting was a turbulent 2016? Will this year be very much like the last one or even worse?

 

No one knows the answer to this and other similar questions, although whatever happens this year will most likely be the result of actions by the decision makers, who have the power to set policy.  

 

There are many significant happenings in 2016 that have caught the attention of commentators, social scientists, historians and whoever else tend to engage in these developments.

 

Going through the list of some of the main happenings of 2016 makes interesting reading. People in the UK voted for their country to exit the European Union, an event that is likely to trigger economic and political contortions around the world whenever the UK authorities decide to start acting on the decision. 

 

Americans voted for Donald Trump to be their next President, a decision that was shocking to many but nonetheless showed that there were huge numbers that stood by him. Russia is accused of having a hand in the outcome to the US Presidential Elections and Mr. Trump’s Republican colleagues do not like it one bit, even as he continues to praise the Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

 

Closer to home, the talk of the year has to be the water issues even if that situation was contained to the north eastern corridor of the island. It saw the struggles the Barbados Water Authority went through to provide services to water starved areas. 

 

Throughout 2016 this country celebrated its 50th Anniversary of Independence, which was an excellent demonstration of nationhood right to the end of November when the celebrations ended.

 

The economy started to rebound with growth of over one per cent, but the downgrading of the country by the International Rating Agencies continued and some areas in the economy still required fixing.

 

 Gun violence continued although the Royal Barbados Police Force reported a decline in crime. People complained about almost everything under the sun: water services (as mentioned earlier), cost of living, bus services, electricity blackouts, the behaviour of some trade unions and their leaders, government, crime, lawlessness on our roads, environmental matters and so and so on.

 

That in a nutshell represents a snapshot of some of the major happenings in Barbados and the wider world.

 

Amidst all of this Barbados still remained a wonderful place to live and work. While it has its faults just like any other small society, this 166 square mile island still maintains its standing in the eyes of the world although some of our institutions are falling down when it comes to the delivery of services.

There therefore is a significant agenda for remedial action in those areas which are crying out for improvements. This has to be the target for those with the power and authority to rectify our ills.

 

As has been said on several occasions Barbados as a society has to keep improving those things that make for an orderly country. It is not something that should be left for others since it means nothing will be done. So 2017 has to be a year of hard work and commitment to do see that improvements are carried out.